Jackie qualified as a Speech Language Therapist and Audiologist in South Africa in 1999.  She is currently in private practice in Gisborne, New Zealand and has special interests in speech sound disorders (including Childhood Apraxia of Speech) as well as phonological awareness and auditory-based learning difficulties (including Dyslexia and Auditory Processing Disorder).

Having worked in schools, as part of multidisciplinary teams, and private practice in two countries, Jackie has over 25 years of experience in the following areas:  articulation and phonological delays, speech sound disorders, Childhood Apraxia of Speech, language delays, stuttering, phonological awareness difficulties, auditory processing difficulties, literacy difficulties and Dyslexia.   

Jackie is also a trained Sounds-Write practitioner, offering specialised tutoring in structured literacy to students with reading and spelling difficulties.  This is a well-established, evidence based structured literacy program, known to be particularly good for students with Dyslexia.

Jackie is also experienced in diagnosing and treating Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS), which is a specialist area of speech pathology.  She is trained and experienced in Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing (DTTC), which is her preferred evidence-based treatment approach for CAS.  She is also trained in Rapid Syllable Transition Training (ReST) and the Nuffield Dyspraxia program. 

Jackie is passionate about her job and finds it very rewarding to help children overcome their speech, language and literacy challenges.  She is a firm believer in keeping up to date with evidence-based practice, doing comprehensive assessments and matching the right therapy approach to each individual child.  She also believes that children progress best when therapy is fun and engaging. 

In her spare time, Jackie enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, shopping and walking her dog on the beach.